CONCORD, N.C. (March 21, 2023) – OpTic Gaming will return to Spire Motorsports’ family of partners and serve as the primary sponsor of Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
OpTic is the winner of the 2022 Esports Awards Esports Organization of the Year.
“We’re thrilled to continue working with Spire Motorsports and wrap Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro with the world-renowned OpTic logo,” said Hector Rodriguez, Founder and CEO of OpTic Gaming. “OpTic is one of the few organizations bridging the gap between traditional sports and gaming. With NASCAR investing in and growing their esports community, this collaboration just makes sense. We’re excited to be along for the ride with Corey and bring co-branded merchandise to the GreenWall, with an exclusive hat and shirt available soon on the OpTic Shop.”
LaJoie turned in a career-best fourth-place performance in last Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, topping his previous series/career best by one position. He is currently 14th in the NCS point standings five races into the 2023 season.
“We’re pretty proud of how our small team has started out the year,” said LaJoie. “We’ve had some solid runs and to put together a fourth-place finish last weekend at Atlanta. That’s what it takes for a team like Spire Motorsports to be in the conversation. We need to be smart every week when we unload, and position ourselves to succeed at tracks where we know we can run well. I’m excited to carry this momentum into COTA this weekend and hopefully put on a good show for our friends at OpTic Gaming and the GreenWall.”
The Concord, N.C., veteran racer has recorded a pair of NCS starts at COTA and calls a 20th-place finish a career best at the 3.41-mile Austin, Texas circuit.
“Spire Motorsports has tremendous respect for OpTic’s legendary contributions to gaming content and culture,” said Spire Motorsports president Bill Anthony. “What’s most impressive is OpTic’s ability to continually reinvent and reimagine itself. We’re proud to be a part of the GreenWall and find creative ways to bring together the traditional sports and gaming worlds.”
The Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas will be televised live on FOX Sunday, March 26 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The sixth of 36 points races on 2023 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
OpTic Gaming is an entertainment, media, and gaming company based in North Texas. Founded in 2006, OpTic is one of the most winning esports organizations in the world and features content creators, competitive gamers, and esports teams with global reach. The company has produced award-winning docuseries and currently operates Esports Stadium Arlington. OpTic’s ownership group includes esports industry pioneers Hector Rodriguez and Mike Rufail as well as Gray Television, along with Texas Rangers minority owner Ken Hersh. For more information, visit OpTicGaming.com.About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a full-time, two-car NASCAR Cup Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2023, Spire Motorsports will field the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for driver Corey LaJoie and No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Ty Dillon. The team also fields NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series teams in select events.
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway.
Note: Cory LaJoie is the son of two-time Xfinity Champion Randy LaJoie who is a native of Norwalk, CT